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There are 100 replies in this Thread. The last Post (Nov 7th 2017, 2:07am) by lasbugas.

Jet Pilot (1957)

DIRECTED BY JOSEF VON STERNBERG/ JULES FURTHMAN
PRODUCED BY HOWARD HUGHES/
AN RKO RADIO PICTURE
RELEASED BY UNIVERSAL-INTERNATIONAL

Photo with the courtesy of lasbugas

INFORMATION FROM IMDb

Plot Summary
Air Force Colonel Shannon is assigned to escort defecting Soviet pilot Anna.
He falls in love with her, but she is scheming to lure him back to the USSR.
But Shannon has a scheme of his own.
Summary written by Jim Beaver

Trivia
Filmed between December 8, 1949 and February 8, 1950, this long held-back movie finally debuted on September 25, 1957 in Los Angeles, followed by its Manhattan opening at the Palace Theatre on October 4, 1957.

The US Air Force, still taking advantage of Chuck Yeager's 1947 supersonic flight for publicity, offered his services as a stunt pilot. During a stunt involving the inverted dive of an F-86, Yeager misjudged the dive and overstressed the plane's tail, causing the horizontal stabilizer to come apart while he was too low to eject. He barely managed to pull out.

In a later flight, his plane's engine lost a turbine disk during a routine climb, forcing a dead-stick landing.

Howard Hughes intended to show off the latest in aircraft technology in 1950 (when this film was shot). By the time it was released to the public, in 1957, the aircraft featured were already obsolete.

Features a night intercept of a B-36B by a Lockheed F-94A Starfire. Although the scene is very dark, the rarely seen retractable 20mm cannon turrets of the B-36B are visible in the extended position.

Russian "Yaks" were portrayed by Lockheed T-33As. Dark paint on the lower fuselage obscured the jet intakes, and the tip of the vertical stabilizer was painted light gray to change its outline.

Airfield scenes set in Russia were actually filmed on the main flightline at George AFB, outside of Victorville California, which appeared suitably primitive.

The gloss-black, prototype Northrop XP-89 scorpion appears in some scenes set in Russia.

The last two flights of the first Bell X-1, Glamorous Glennis, were filmed for inclusion in Jet Pilot. It played the part of a Soviet "parasite fighter". The movie shows it being launched from a Boeing B-29 Superfortress. The X-1 was repainted for its role. The vertical stabilizer, fairings on the top and bottom of the fuselage, and the left wing and horizontal stabilizer were painted white. It continued to wear the movie makeup while displayed at the National Air and Space Museum until it was restored for installation in the Milestones of Flight Gallery in 1976.

After intercepting the B-36 in a F-94 Starfire, they are shown departing in a F-80 Shooting Star.

In 1952, at the height of The Cold War, those "take cover" drills, the McCarthy Hearings and the aftermath of the Rosenberg Trials, this picture featured John Wayne portraying an American pilot in love with a defecting Russian spy. The film was put on the shelf for five years.

The film was produced by RKO in 1950 which was owned by Howard Hughes. By the time it was released in 1957, Hughes had sold RKO and the film was released by Universal.

Goofs
* Revealing mistakes: When the fighter breaks off after the radar intercept, the markings on the plane are backwards (flipped film).

* Continuity: When Anna climbs in the two seat jet, there is a canopy support visible. When she taxis away and lowers the canopy the support is missing. The support is used to prevent the canopy from accidentally closing when ground crew are working on the plane.

Advertising carried the credits "Starring John Wayne, Janet Leigh,
and the United States Air Force."

Jet Pilot is a 1957 Cold War action film starring John Wayne and Janet Leigh.
Written by Jules Furthman and co-produced by Furthman and Howard Hughes,
The Technicolor movie went through several directorial changes,
after Josef von Sternberg began the directing between October 1949 and February 1950.
After that point, Furthman, Philip Cochran (second unit director), Ed Killy (assistant),
Byron Haskin (for the model work) and Don Siegel also directed scenes
(Siegel's weren't used), as did Howard Hughes himself.

Filming dragged on for nearly four years.
The last day of shooting was in May 1953,
but the film was kept out of release by Howard Hughes due to his tinkering with the film
(something for which he was notorious) until October 1957,
by which time Hughes had sold RKO.Universal ended up distributing Jet Pilot.

Although Jet Pilot was publicized as showcasing the U.S. Air Force's latest jets,
by the time it was finally shown most of the aircraft in the film were obsolescent or obsolete,
being supplanted by more modern aircraft.
In one aerial scene, the two lead characters fly a Lockheed F-94 Starfire
to test a radar approach to intercept a propeller driven Convair B-36 bomber.

Jet Pilot was reportedly Howard Hughes's favorite film,
one he watched repeatedly in his later years.

How Duke, could make Sands of Iwo Jima and Rio Grande
and manage to make this utter tosh, in-between, is beyond belief!!!
One of his Top 5 worse films!
He should have walked away, from this one, but perhaps it was the money!
Fortunately, for us all, Howard Hughes hid it from us, for a few years,
to save us from the torture!!!Duke was at his worst hammy, and making silly facial expressions!!
Another film, adding ammunition, to the critics of his acting.

One quote I read said that

the chemistry, between Duke and Janet was great,

I'm sorry, but I can't see that, it wasn't bad, but chemistry there was not!!
The whole plot was preposterous and uncredible,
and everytime we saw, Janet's bosom, we got all those whooshing sounds!!
It all proved how obsessed and sad, Hughes really was!!!

It was the Directors, only film, and from this result, one can see why!!
By the time the film was released,the cold war was obsolete,
the planes were obsolete,and the whole film, was obsolete!!
Its reviews were devastating, critics were embarrassed,
of how outrageous and silly it all was, and the audiences agreed.

User Review

A waste
16 December 2004 | by oilerblueline (New York)

The aerial footage is nice, but once people start talking, the film goes into a tailspin. The plot seems as though it was made up as they went along (on a few occasions, I thought a reel must be missing) and I don't think I'm giving anything away (like there was any suspense anyway) by saying John Wayne must really love Janet Leigh to stay with her after she pistol whips him. Twice. It's unintentionally hilarious but unbelievably bad. I always like Hans Conreid, but he doesn't show up until the very end. All of the other actors in the film have a wooden presentation, as though they brought in actual air force officers to appear in the film. And if the U.S. military really hatched a plan like this, there should be courts martial all around.

Best WishesKeithLondon- England

The post was edited 7 times, last by ethanedwards (Mar 23rd 2013, 2:38pm).

Jet Pilot. What can you say that hasn’t been said before?
Janet Leigh’s flight suit is nice.
Other than that if you were hospitalised and in a coma and forced to watch this film it might be enough to drive you out of your coma out of your bed to find the off switch or bite the power cable in two!
I would rate it as his worst but with Howard Hughes in charge who knows what the original concept was. At least he had the decency to bury it.

Different strokes for different folks I guess. I always considered "Jet Pilot" to be great fun. Why can't anyone see this movie for what it is...a comedy! There are many great lines and scenes...Duke telling Paul Fix he changed his mind about taking Anna to Palmer Fields (after seeing her come from the shower), the running gag about Anna not understanding some of the American lingo (stuffed, cupcake, etc...). I could state at least another dozen times in this film that made me laugh. And lets not forget the absolutely gorgeous technicolor, and the scenes of the jets making maneuvers thru the air.

I thought Jet Pilot was watchable, the trouble with the picture was thatHughes wouldn't let it go he spent large amounts of money and film shooting the ariel scenes. By the time he had finished as you say the film was badly dated.

It looks like most of you people do not think to much about the film "Jet Pilot" but in the 1950s most of us that were in the Service and Flying these Type Aircraft during the Korean War and the First Part of the "Cold War" could hardly wait to see the Film.

And even if the story line was weak the Flying Scenes were Great, but with Howard Hughes doing the Film thats what you would get "Great Flying Scenes."

If there are some of you People that like Aviation and Aircraft you can go to the Site below for a Picture Story about the Film "Jet Pilot."

Yes, William I would agree flying sequences are great and the ONLY highlight in the film. I think Howard spent enough getting them perfect.

I know a collector who buys films specifically if steam trains are featured in them.

Amongst many others he had all 3 versions of The 39 Steps for this purpose and also managed to obtain a very rare full length version of The Quiet Man on Super 8.

When he moved across to DVD projection he offered it to me but by that time
I was heading that direction to so I declined his offer. He sold to a dealer as a package deal and 2-3 months later I spotted same film selling on Ebay for 7-8 times what he offered it to me for.

I suppose my Judge of a film is that of all the John Wayne conventions I could have attended the one I went to featured John Wayne in The Fighting Kentuckian followed by Jet Pilot. This involved me leaving home at 5am taking a train and bus to the midlands by Mansfield getting there by 11 am and after seeing the two films getting home around 1am the next mornng.

And enjoying every minute of it especially as that was the location where I bought Pat Stacey book.